


Fire Fallow

by mssticha



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Gallows Humor, Reverse Big Bang Challenge, Swearing, pain and suffering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 08:34:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17403593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mssticha/pseuds/mssticha
Summary: A simple mission on Havarl goes bad and Sara Ryder experiences some of the horrors the planet has in store. Sometimes the best solution is to slash and burn, then wait for things to heal themselves.





	Fire Fallow

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for an amazing piece of art by Seo Kanori. I was drawn to the use of contrasting color as well as the deep emotion within. I hope I can live up to the source material.
> 
> Thank you for the inspiration and support!

 

“Wow, look at that view.” Sara Ryder walked to the very edge of a cliff to take it all in. Havarl had a wild beauty about it, dangerous and free, like the Amazon back on Earth before it completely disappeared to men’s reckless greed. Sara chuckled at the raw irony. She was here to do the same, to tame this planet in a similar fashion. She frowned and bit back a twinge of guilt. That wasn’t fair. She wasn’t a one-woman ecological bulldozer, no matter how she felt looking over the vista. This planet was sick, and it was up to her to bring it back under control. Innumerable lives counted on her to complete the mission, including those of the original inhabitants. The least she could do was appreciate the sight before she set about to change it. Her crew just had to indulge her for a few more moments.

“It’s a lot quieter here than I imagined.” Cora and the rest of the crew stood several feet back from the edge.

Was it a sign of reverence for the pathfinder, or were they simply more cautious? Nobody in their right mind would revere Sara. Up until a few weeks ago, her biggest accomplishment was being born to her father, so it was definitely the latter. Joke was on them, though. Caution was just one step away from boring.

“Maybe you’re just standing too far away to hear anything.” Ryder tilted her head and waited for half a beat. Nothing. “Chicken shits.” A strangled gasp came from behind. Sara chuckled and turned around. The urge to see Cora’s reaction was too strong to ignore.

The world tilted, like gravity got bored and decided to lay down. One minute she was standing on firm ground, the next… nothing. The wind screamed in her ears and burned her eyes, the fresh tears sliding along her lashes until they jumped free. Leaves and sticks flew past her from left to right, the sharp edges scraping along her armor and biting into her exposed flesh. Whatever this was, it was all real. And it was only going to get worse.

A rough, almost barking sound escaped her lungs on impact. She laid still in her small crater, her mouth flapping like a fish out of water as she tried to remember how to breathe. Why was something so instinctive so damn hard? Every kid gets the wind knocked out of them at some point and they all survive, but it was somehow different as an adult. There was no man standing over her, mocking her as his watched like some sort of sick sadist, for starters. That was at least decade behind her, but the fear and anger was just as fresh. No, it was actually centuries.

Ryder rolled onto her side and gulped desperately. She wanted, no, _needed_ to breathe, but she also had to keep the the contents of her lunch from escaping. Puking and breathing never went together very well.

“Your oxygen levels are dangerously low,” SAM announced.

 _No Shit._ Sara wanted to shout at that damn AI, but there just wasn’t enough spare oxygen. Instead, she focused on slow, deep breaths until the spasms passed.  She looked around, each small movement of her head a fresh mistake. “What the hell…”

“You appear to have fallen,” SAM replied.

“You think?” Ryder mumbled underneath her breath. Something slithered nearby, but it wasn’t a pressing concern. She needed to find out what happened and how to get out. Dazed, she pulled the tangle of vines from around her legs and stood. The effort to stay upright made her muscle grumble, but at least nothing felt broken. She swung each arm in a wide circle, twisted back and forth a couple times, then jumped in place. Everything moved the way it was supposed to. That was the good news. Her armor, on the other hand, was definitely worse for wear. “What’s my suit’s status, SAM?”

“Armor integrity has been compromised. I detect several fractures between plates and all medical systems are offline.”

Of course they were. Her luck never changed much. “I guess I need to be extra-special careful, then,” Ryder said, fully aware she how low unlikely that was. At least she survived the fall.

Ryder looked around. The plants surrounded her in a claustrophobic embrace of greenery. The only visible opening was directly overhead, the perfect Ryder-shaped hole marking her entry-point. Straining, she found the silhouettes of her crew on the cliff.

Sara pushed the button on her suit. “I’m alright guys. I think. But how’d I end up down here?” She waited for a response, then tried again. “Guys? Do you copy?” Ryder backed up until her crew was in full view, then she smacked the comm device a couple times. “Hello?” Nothing. She shook it like it owed her money. Still nothing, so she removed it and swore. It didn’t take a specialist to see it was busted worse than a batarian’s face. She looked back up at her crew and shook her head.

Everyone on the cliff made wild gestures and appeared to be shouting, but she couldn’t hear a thing. What the hell were they doing? Trying to fly? Did they want her to catch a bird? Was this some new dance? There was only one thing she knew for sure: her team sucked at charades.

Leaves rustled on her right. It was subtle, and it stopped the second she noticed it, but she knew what she heard. She took one step towards the sound. There was no second step. Her brow furrowed and she looked down. A vine held her firmly in place, the green tendrils wrapped around her leg past the knee. Two more vines closed in on her from opposite directions. No wonder it felt claustrophobic.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” Sara yanked the vine from her leg and stomped on the other two as hard as possible. They didn’t break, but at least they stopped moving. Any victory, how ever small, was a good one.

The ground rumbled. The vines retreated so fast they were almost a blur. A second, deeper rumble shook the earth, then a third, each sound closer than the one before. Her body swayed with the aftershocks no matter how hard she struggled. The mystery source sounded big, probably dangerous, and heading right for her. “Please be there, please be there,” she whispered as she slid her hand along her thigh. “Yes!” Slowly, silently, she released the clasp on her thigh holster with a soft _click_.

The ground shook in steady, thunderous beats. Screams shattered the silence. It was coming.

Plants exploded, the debris like hot coals on her skin. Time slowed as she raised an arm and twisted to protect her face. Roars replaced the screams, long and drawn out as the seconds stretched impossibly long. A large pink leaf drifted through the air in a slow waltz as she squeezed her eyes closed.

Time snapped back into place in a bright flash of pain.

“Goddammit! What did I always tell you?” A man’s gravelly voice cut through the void, the impact every bit as sharp and painful as the hit she just took to the side. There was going to be one hell of a bruise waiting for her when this was all said and done.

Sara blinked. Everything was dark and tasted like rotten vegetables, and it only took her a full minute to figure out why. She popped her face free of the mud with a wet squelch and carefully pushed herself upright. Every part of her body crackled and popped as she moved. And it was no wonder.

A long, deep furrow spanned a good portion of the clearing. It was hard to tell exactly where it started, but it ended directly under her. Not many people could say their face and body were used as a plow.

“Sam, what the hell hit me?”

“It appeared to be an unknown species.”

Ryder took another look at the trail her body carved through the soft dirt. Chunks of her armor dotted the ground, the decidedly unfestive remnants of a pathfinder pinata. “Are you sure it wasn’t a vehicle? Nevermind, don’t answer.”

“Pathfinder…”

“I said nevermind,” Sara interrupted. Sounds of a battle echoed through the open area, but foliage dampened the sounds and made it impossible to gauge distance. At least the plants were too far away to sneak up on her or hide a large, murderous creature. Unfortunately, the clearing also left her nowhere to hide.

Growls and snarls competed with the sounds of distant gunfire, and these were getting closer. She looked around frantically, but nothing changed. That was good, since her gun disappeared along with her breastplate and the remnants of her patience. Two of those had to be around somewhere. Sara did another quick scan on her surroundings when something caught her eye. It was strange, as if the air shimmered…

A large, snarling animal appeared out of nowhere, like the world’s shittiest magic trick.

“They can turn invisible?” Ryder howled as the creature lunged forward. She dove out of the way and rolled to her feet. Massive jaws snapped the empty air where her head was mere seconds earlier.  

“Good doggy,” she soothed in her best animal lover voice. It was a long shot, but she’d tap dance in a bikini if it got her out of another fight at this point. She squatted, held out her hand, and waited for the creature to approach her. It was a trick she learned befriending strays as a kid. The beast took a tentative step towards her. That was a good sign. “Good massive, spiked, angry…”

The beast reared back and made a choking sound. Something hit the ground at her feet and splashed up her legs, and that shit burned like fire.

“… acid spitting?” What the fuck? Bad monster doggy.”

The creature took advantage of her momentary distraction and made another run at her. There was no time to react. Massive claws tore are her legs as it bit down and latched onto her arm. Her screams mingled with the creature’s growls. The fight was feral, two beings struggling for survival. Whatever the hell this thing was, it had an insane number of teeth, was pointier than a porcupine on a pincushion, and didn’t seem to feel pain. She clawed at the exposed throat as they both struggled for purchase. Her fingers finally broke through the skin and she tore at everything she could. The creature struggled, but the deed was done. Its body went limp.

Sara pulled herself free, but the physical toll of survival was huge. Ribbons of flesh hung loosely from her arm and legs. White bone peeked through the bloody red wounds when she flexed. She tried to take a deep breath, but pain stopped her short. There was definitely something broken in there. A rib, most likely. And those were such a pain in the ass to heal. She wiped the gore from her face with twisted fingers, then decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Every part of her body screamed in pain, and exhaustion was going to win whether she liked it or not. She backed up until she found something solid, then collapsed.

Dark puddles saturated the ground around her and the corpse, the ground soggy with blood. The dim light made it impossible to tell if it was hers or the animal’s. Based on the number and size of the mushroom-type plants, soggy was normal.

“Man, fuck this planet.” Sara propped one leg up for support. “I’m burning this shit down first chance I get.”

 

Sara took a shaky breath and leaned into the towering fungi. The bio-luminescence gave her skin a sickly pallor. Or maybe it was simply the loss of blood. Condensed moisture ran down her back and arms, cool and refreshing against her hot, painful body. This part of the Havarl wasn’t bad. In fact, it was kind of beautiful. Maybe she’d spare this area from her fiery vengeance, as long as some other nasty creature didn’t jump from the glowing clumps of grasses and eat her toes or something equally surprising and nasty.

Everything glowed in eerie shades of blue, even the small insects flitting about in the darkness. It was like nothing she’d seen before. She’d seen some phosphorescent flora in vids and lessons, but nothing of this size. Then again, this was the first planet she knew of that was completely overtaken by plants and animals. It was also going to be the last, based on the way she felt.

This was a fitting end for her short run as pathfinder - a job she never asked for, and was totally unprepared to undertake. She _thought_ she was ready, but clearly that wasn’t enough. Her only qualifications were being in the right place at the right time and being the daughter of the real pathfinder. And how did any of that help her here? Her studies didn’t prepare her. She knew to stay away from the plants, but had no idea they’d come after her. And nobody bothered to mention the fact that some of those animals could fucking turn invisible. That was a mighty big omission on their part.

So here she sat, her life slowly ebbing from her body while her genetics and the AI foisted on her did fuck all to protect her. Breathing wasn’t supposed to hurt. Toes didn’t go numb for no reason at all. And legs usually work when you want them to. The writing was on the wall. So here she sat. Stuck. Hurt. Totally fucked. And all alone. None of this would’ve happened if she’d been just a little more prepared.

“This never should’ve happened!” The deep, gravelly voice echoed through her mind again. It was always the same lecture, no matter what happened. No matter who was at fault. “Always be prepared.”

Just like that, Sara was a child again, hurt and scared while that damn man hovered over her. His stern eyes glinted as he stared down and rendered judgement. And it was always judgement.

“Your heartbeat is rising rapidly.” SAM’s voice brought her back to reality, though her current situation wasn’t much better.

“Yeah, he always had that effect on me,” Sara whispered. “He loved a challenge, and apparently I was his favorite target. Every mistake, every misstep, he was there waiting. He’d tower over me and say ‘If you’re ever going to get anything through that thick skull of yours, I want it to be this: Always be prepared.’ And then he’d disappear until I fucked up again.”

Sara’s heart ached for her twin, her partner in crime. They always faced his wrath together. Even when Scott was hurt and unconscious, just knowing he was there strengthened her resolve and gave her the courage to stand up to their tormentor. She’d lift her chin in defiance. If that man wanted to take his anger out on someone, she was a willing target. Anything to protect her brother.

Fresh tears slid down her dirty, battered face. Scott was hurt and unconscious again, but this time he was so far away. She was all alone.

“Who is _he_?” SAM asked.

The truth festered deep within, but it was time to slash it open, to burn it away once and for all. “My father.”

Sarah traced the scar she’d earned all those years ago, the proof she learned her father’s lesson the hard way, and chuckled at the irony. Oh, to think of what ol’ Alec Ryder would say if he saw her now. But he couldn’t. He learned his own lesson in the hardest possible manner. Sometimes even the best got caught with their pants down. There were some situations nobody could prepare for.

“Ryder, your vital signs are growing increasingly erratic.” SAM’s voice echoed through her head.

“No shit,” she muttered. Her vision darkened and her heart struggled with every beat. Things weren’t looking good.

“I suggest you find a way back to the ship for immediate medical attention.”

Sara chuckled humorlessly. “Well, that’s not going to happen unless you’ve figured out a way to levitate my gimpy ass. Or do you have a better suggestion?”

An expectant hush fell over the clearing. Sara was running out of time, but there was something she had to say.

“I’m sorry you got stuck with me, SAM. I think you would’ve been of more use to Cora. She was supposed to be in my place anyway. She was the daughter my dad always wanted, and I’m pretty sure he was the father she never had.”

“Ryder, I’m picking up movement. I suggest you scan the surroundings.”

“Don’t change the subject, SAM. I know what’s going on, and I know you’re just trying to distract me. But I’m not afraid to die.” Ryder closed her eyes. It felt good to relax. She earned this rest, even if it turned out to be final.

If there really was an afterlife of some sort, hopefully her mom finally managed to teach her dad how to be a real father. Hopefully they’d both waiting for her as a soft, warm place to land. And they’d scoop her up and get her back on her feet to face eternity.

Hopefully.


End file.
